Olympics hero Usain Bolt is inspiration for ‘fastest man in Brixton’ race

Students from Evelyn Grace Academy, Brixton, all hope to become the Brixton Bolt. Picture by Tim Dickens

Tim Dickens
Thursday, October 25, 2012
11:02 AM

Three months after Usain Bolt proved he was the fastest man in the world the quest is on to find the fastest man in, er, Brixton.

South London's more athletic residents will converge on Popes Road in the town on Saturday for the Brixton Bolt event. Organisers are hoping to keep the spirit of the Olympics alive and recreate the unique buzz found in the area when the Jamaican sprinter ran the course 9.63 seconds in August.

Event organiser Tom Shakhli said: "Brixton's got a proud and strong Jamaican community and watching the reaction when Usain Bolt won both races got me thinking about how to harness that.

"When I told people the idea everyone smiled and said that sounds like great fun. I've tried to make it something that's fun for everyone."

As well as prizes for the fastest man over 100m, the challenge is looking for the fastest woman, children and over 40s. The usual Saturday market in Station Road will be filled with the smell of jerk chicken, and feature specially selected stalls to provide the wannabe athletes with sustenance.

Asked if Usain Bolt himself would attend, Shakhli said: "Probably not. Well, maybe. I think he would like Coldharbour Lane. Feel free to tweet him @usainbolt to see if he's interested."

"He won't be allowed to race though," he added.

Children's races start at 11am tomorrow in Popes Road, Brixton and the main finals are at 2pm. For more information visit www.brixtonbolt.com.